The City of Camas is seeking a Parks and Recreation Director that will lead the department’s strategy, planning, and operations, develop and enhance performance measures and policies, manage the existing facilities and development of programs, new parks, trails and recreation facilities, oversee long-term planning, and manage the parks and recreation budget, including the Park Impact Fee program.
The Director will leverage operational, technical, financial, and administrative expertise to lead and enhance the department. Recognizing current size and capacity constraints, this position will lay the groundwork for a robust and dynamic recreational framework. As the department grows, the Director will strategically expand services and facilities to meet the evolving needs of the community.
The City of Camas Parks & Recreation Department provides parks, public spaces, natural areas, trails, recreational opportunities, community gathering facilities, and urban forestry and open space management. As a member of the City’s senior leadership team, the Director will report directly to the City Administrator, oversee a current team of three FTE (Recreation Coordinators), and manage an operating budget of approximately $1.5 million, including oversight of seasonal employees, contractors and volunteers. Additionally, the Director will coordinate with the Public Works Department regarding the approximate $2 million Parks Operations and Maintenance budget.
Enjoying great community support, we are a City in southwest Washington state, just minutes away from Portland, Oregon. The City of Camas is home to approximately 27,000 residents, where its many parks, strong schools, and a thriving downtown make for an exceptional quality of life. Camas proudly maintains 16 parks, 12 miles of trails and over 1000 acres of open space.
A highly effective leader, communicator and project manager, the Director possesses exemplary public engagement and financial skills and excels in conflict management. A proven record of building consensus and delivering outstanding customer service is key to success in this role. The ability to champion and develop new revenue sources to support parks services and navigate change while achieving department and City priorities will be crucial in addressing the challenges ahead in Camas. The Director will be adept at building partnerships with organizations and maintaining professional relationships with local, regional, and state partners. Additionally, the Director will be a collaborative partner within the senior leadership team and work closely with the Public Works Director and Community Development Director to align department goals with operations and maintenance activities and planning activities; respectively.
In the near term, the Director will prioritize:
Completion of capital projects including Crown Park, South Lacamas Creek Trailhead and the T-3 Trail in coordination with the Public Works Capital Engineering team
Completion of the Legacy Lands Master Planning project
Project planning for the Bike Park
Reviewing organizational structure of department with an upcoming staff retirement
Exploring direct funding and cost recovery options and budgetary policies to sustain and ideally enhance recreation and operating and maintenance resources in coordination with Public Works
Participating as a member of the senior leadership team in the City’s Strategic Planning process
Future priorities include:
Implementation of the Parks & Open Space Management Plan (POSMP)
Implementation of the City-Wide Sports Field Plan
Implementation of the FY ‘25-’26 and future budgets
Updating the Parks and Recreation Open Space (PROS) Plan which sunsets in 2028
Project planning for the Green Mountain Master Plan
The Director will have five years of responsible administrative and management experience in the field of parks, recreation, or community services; and a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in business administration, public administration, recreation administration or a related field. A Master’s degree is preferred. Possession of a Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE) credential is preferred.
Compensation and Benefits
The Parks and Recreation Director is an at-will position and the contract is at the discretion of the Mayor. The position has a hiring range of $130-165k/annually, depending on qualifications. Camas has a competitive benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, employee assistance program and pension with the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems. Paid time off, administrative leave and holidays are also included.
Please include a resume and cover letter with the online application. All application materials must be attached when the application is submitted.
